dreamscape
by smartalker
Summary: Are you still the same person when you live another life? Do you love the same people? Do you even know them? — NejiSakura AU


**A/N: **Edited version.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

**Dreamscape**

"How long you been out of it?" Neji's eyes were, of course, grey. Legally blind, with shadows for pupils. He blinked them open, and reached out for her. Sakura pulled her arms around herself more tightly and watch the dying day transform their wasteland of a city into something mysterious, beautiful in its destruction.

She stood, putting some space between them. The room she stood in was dusky shadows and splintered wood. Small fogs of dust spiraled from the sleeping bodies around her. There had to be fifty people here—all homeless, all crowding into a space with a roof.

"Why are we the only ones who can come out anymore?" She rested her fingers against the jagged glass sticking from the window frame. "What's happening?"

She looked down at her pale, bony fingers. All of them were like that—like some of the kids you used to see on the orphaned, starving children posters. They stopped making those, seeing as everyone looked like that now. Seeing as there was no one to make them.

The sun was swollen, large and pregnant in the bloody sky. Around her, the city was still.

Neji's clammy hand touched her should carefully, "We need food."

"Yeah," she agreed, and walked timidly from their shelter. Together, they walked to the convenience store. Neji waited outside for her—he hated going in. Some of the citizens had gotten caught in the dreamscape, and wasted away before they learned how to jerk themselves out.

You could only survive so long on the physical plain.

Sakura walked down the shelves, selecting canned foods—things that were probably mostly good. She had to step over a skelton's arm to exit. "Got it," she took Neji's hand, and ran his fingers over the food products to show him. "Let's go."

He rested one hand on her shoulder, and followed her lead unquestioningly. There wasn't anyone to run into out here. They walked in silence, stepping around destroyed cars, and the slumped over victims.

The first time, the dreamscape had hit everyone at once. Maybe something in the air. The result of which, people driving had crashed, babies had fallen silent, and people fell over unconscious for no apparent reason.

It was a global event—something that a brilliant scientist had created to put an end to all of the wars. Physical forms could not be hurt if everyone was safely encased with their dream worlds.

But it was very, very hard to jerk out of the dreamscape. A fatal flaw. Once people fell unconscious, their subconscious picked up on the radio transmission forever broadcasted—and landed within another world; a world called Konoha.

"It's…getting harder." Neji spoke suddenly, his nails digging into her shoulder, "It's getting harder for me to come back. I—I'm afraid."

Sakura was very quiet. She shifted the food over to her other arm, and reached up to touch his hand. "If you can't—well. It's okay, Neji. I'll look after your guy's bodies on my own."

"That's not—" Neji seemed to struggle for words, "I don't mean it that way. If I can't keep jerking out, then I'll…I'll lose you. We aren't together, in Konoha. Not like we are here."

"I know." Sakura smiled at him, even though he couldn't see it, "But I'll…I'll take care of you and Sasuke-kun in case you _can_ jerk out. In case someone's able to fix things."

"Sasuke-kun," Neji sneered, "You don't even _like_ him—that's just it! The lines are starting to blur."

Sakura's lips pressed together. "Maybe we'll remember, this time in."

Neji laughed sarcastically, and shook his head. His matted, grimy brown hair swung about his face. "Maybe."

"…Is this goodbye?" They had reached their shelter, she tapped him on the wrist, twice, to let him know. Neji shouldered past her.

"I don't know. I don't think so. I think I'll be able to get out a few more times." He crouched down on his knees, and felt the person's face he was nearest. "Is this Gaara?"

"Yeah," Sakura threw a can of peaches towards him, "Give him some of these—lotsa calories. He's getting pretty thin."

The two of them set about their work, injecting sugar, spoon feeding their slumbering comrades.

"Sakura!" Neji sounded panicked, "Sakura, Tenten's not breathing."

She slipped, and almost choked Ino with the spoon. Hastily, she rushed over to where Neji was. He was moving restlessly, distress plain upon his face. "We took too long—she slipped in. She's stuck there, now."

"No…" Sakura whispered. She pressed her thumb to Tenten's cold, marble wrist, searching for a pulse. None came. Her stomach lurched, and Sakura clamped a hand over her mouth, backing away from Tenten frantically. The pale, limp hand thudded to the floor.

Neji was very, very quiet.

"I'm going in," he said abruptly, "I need to see her."

Sakura nodded, and then remembered. "I—yeah. I'll come in later."

Neji nodded, barely paying any mind to her words. "Hurry."

"Neji—" her voice broke, and she tried again, "You'll come back, won't you?"

He didn't say anything. She bit her lip, wet around her eyes. "Will you?"

"I can…see, in the other plane." Neji was almost inaudible, "I don't…I hate this. I hate this world."

Her arms snapped to her chest tightly, pressing as hard as she could, "But—but it isn't real, Neji. Tenten's…she's not real. You don't—I don't love Sasuke—"

"But wouldn't it be nice," Neji voice was almost shaking, "For me to see the real you? That's the only way I can do it—I'll never see you here. And…Tenten's still there."

She would not be selfish. She would not. She would carry on alone. "Will you…can you just come back once more?"

"We'll see," Neji slid the needle into his arm, and took her hand. With in seconds, his eyes were closing, "We'll…see…"

* * *

_She waited till he was gone, and then left to take Sasuke's hand._


End file.
